Erie 1 BOCEShttp://e1b.orgErie 1 BOCESen-USCopyright 2010 by Entre Computer Serviceswebmaster@e1b.orgBlended learningBlended learning
Three tips to increase student readiness Technology is everywhere. It’s in your home. In your school. It’s even on the school buses. Wherever you turn, technology is staring you right in the face. A study by SAM Labs shows that 82 percent of teachers think students who use technology in the classroom are better prepared for their careers. The teachers that were surveyed indicated that technology can help students retain more information across all subjects, and learn at a faster rate. While students may be farther along when it comes to technology, compared to 20 years ago, there are still things they need to learn to be successful. Here are three ideas to consider when beefing up technology-based learning. 1. Establish a culture of creativity Intellectual capital is often just as valuable of a commodity as physical products. Going forward, students will be able to cash in on creativity as a currency. That can take the form of solving a problem with a novel approach or sharing a concept visually. For students to be creative, they need opportunities to practice it. Try it: Practice creativity in class by having students propose solutions to messy problems that don’t have clear-cut answers. Let students communicate their ideas digitally through a variety of mediums (writing, video, physical models, drawing, etc.). “A culture of creativity has been established…working on solutions to open-ended real problems our community is challenged with,” stated Jay Morris, technology integration specialist at Cuba Rushford CSD. “For example, our students made 30-second commercials for members of our chamber of commerce.” 2. Pursue success through collaboration Rarely are we able to work in isolation to solve problems or get our work done. As our work world moves toward the future, we’re going to increasingly rely on others to get things done. Try it: Have students solve problems in groups, then help them reflect on their collaborative process and how it can be improved. Let students share what they’re learning through a classroom social media account and show them how to effectively and safely interact with the world on the web. “Students at CRCS work together via FaceTime, airdropping, shared workspaces in Office365, and many other real-time digital environments to be able to meet real deadlines,” stated Morris. “Those deadlines may be for the daily live Rebel Express Show, the nationally aired CRCS Outdoors TV show or for presentation at the National FFA conference to name a few.” 3. Seize opportunities everywhere – online and in real life Don Wettrick’s StartEdUp podcast is a must-listen for future-ready educators everywhere. He interviews entrepreneurs and innovators from all walks of life about how we can best prepare ourselves and students for the future. Wettrick’s motto is, “Opportunities are everywhere.” Students who learn to find opportunities everywhere can find success waiting for them anywhere. Try it: Encourage students to pull their passions or curiosities into classroom lessons and discussions. If one student is interested, there’s a good chance others are too. Give students some freedom to pursue topics within your area of study and use digital resources to propose new ideas and solutions. “Through the use of our STEM labs and 1:1 Chromebook initiative, instruction is student driven. Students are able to apply cross-curricular learning and apply it to a project and use investigation and engineering skills in order to complete them,” explained Jessi Toepfer, technology coordinator at Tonawanda City Schools. “By allowing them the freedom to work through a project with the use of makerspaces and project-based learning, they are not held to one way of completing a new learning or project/assessment.” Photo Credit: Cuba Rushford CSDMon, 22 Jan 2018 20:50:36 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=912#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=912#1815Don’t get caught phishing without a poleDon’t get caught phishing without a pole
As usage becomes greater by the day, so does being scammed. Hackers are just looking for ways to steal your personal information – whether at home or at work. According to Get Cyber Safe, there are a 156 million phishing emails a day being sent out world-wide, of which 80,000 emails are typically opened. Cyber criminals start their phishing journey by sending out millions of emails that ask the recipient to click a link or provide information. The user is just opening the emails and clicking on the links without really knowing why. People tend to just scroll through emails without really noticing what they are – or what they contain. It’s a big problem in society – which we will get to later. After everything is opened up and clicked, 80,000 people, who clicked the link are netted by the baited website. Their information results in stolen identities, financial loss, credit card scams and other internet scams. In the fast paced life that we live in, people sometimes just don’t know what to look for when being phished. Criminals have been creative in their ways of disguising corrupted emails – so people will click on them. Here are some things to look for next time you see an email that you might not recognize. Don’t trust the display name A favorite phishing tactic among cybercriminals is to spoof the display name of an email. Return Path analyzed more than 760,000 email threats targeting 40 of the world’s largest brands and found that nearly half of all email threats spoofed the brand in the display name. Even though you may get an email from your bank, don’t trust the display name. Check the email address in the header from—if looks suspicious, don’t open the email. Look but don’t click Hover your mouse over any links embedded in the body of the email. If the link address looks weird, don’t click on it. If you want to test the link, open a new window and type in website address directly rather than clicking on the link from unsolicited emails. Protecting against malware How do I make sure my computer or network is malware-free? The answer has a couple parts: personal vigilance and protective tools. One of the most popular ways to spread malware is through email, which may be disguised to look as if it is from a familiar company such as a bank or a personal email from a friend. Be aware of emails that ask you to provide passwords, or emails that seem to be from friends – but have only a message such as “check out this cool website” followed by a link. Personal vigilance is the first layer of protection against malware, but simply being careful is not enough. Because business security is not perfect, even downloads from legitimate sites can sometimes have malware attached. So, even the most prudent user is at risk, unless you take additional measures. Check for spelling errors Brands are pretty serious about email. Legitimate messages usually do not have major spelling mistakes or poor grammar. Read your emails carefully and report anything that seems suspicious. Analyze the situation Is the email addressed to a vague “Valued Customer?” If so, watch out—legitimate businesses will often use a personal salutation with your first and last name. Don’t give up personal information Legitimate banks and most other companies will never ask for personal credentials via email. Don’t give them up. Beware of urgent or threating language in the subject line Invoking a sense of urgency or fear is a common phishing tactic. Beware of subject lines that claim your “account has been suspended” or your account had an “unauthorized login attempt.” Review the signature Lack of details about the signer or how you can contact a company strongly suggests a phish. Legitimate businesses always provide contact details. Don’t click on attachments Including malicious attachments that contain viruses and malware is a common phishing tactic. Malware can damage files on your computer, steal your passwords or spy on you without your knowledge. Don’t open any email attachments you weren’t expecting. Don’t trust the header from email addresses Fraudsters not only spoof brands in the display name, but also spoof brands in the header from email address. Emails with forged addresses may appear to be from your bank or another legitimate business. They’ll often ask you for sensitive information such as your credit card information or social security number, perhaps after clicking a link that leads to a phishing site designed to look like a legitimate website. Think of an email’s “From” field as the digital equivalent of the return address printed on envelopes you receive in the mail. Generally, people put an accurate return address on mail. However, anyone can write anything they like in the return address field – the postal service doesn’t verify that a letter is actually from the return address printed on it. Don’t believe everything you see Phishers are extremely good at what they do. Just because an email has convincing brand logos, language, and a seemingly valid email address, does not mean that it’s legitimate. Be skeptical when it comes to your email messages—if it looks even remotely suspicious, don’t open it. At the end of the day, these all aren’t sure fire ways to help you not get phished. Criminals are getting smarter with the technology they have every day – and they will soon find more creative ways to get to the people they are targeting. One of the best ways to not get scammed is just not to open the email. If it looks phishy it probably is.Mon, 22 Jan 2018 16:37:16 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=881#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=881#1815Changing how students learnChanging how students learn
If teachers thought engaging students in learning was hard before, just wait. Mobile technology has brought an entirely new set of challenges for keeping students’ attention in the classroom. However, when applied correctly, experts agree that the benefits outweigh the challenges. While technology makes things more interactive, it also takes away the person’s attention to who is teaching the class.Teachers now find themselves utilizing technology more to grab the attention of their students. A survey done by Pew Internet Project, a division of Pew Research Center, found that teachers said technology could be a useful education tool. Seventy-five percent of teachers said that internet and search engines had a positive effect on students and their research skills. They also went on to say that these tools had made students more self-sufficient when it came to research and projects. Ninety-percent of teachers, however, were worried that all this new digital technology was creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans.” Evaluating technology in the classroom Parents want to make sure their child is getting the best education possible. With that comes the understanding that both the child and teacher knows how to use the devices given to them. It does not matter that you have a shiny new iPad or Chromebook if you don’t know how to use it. You want to make sure that teachers are engaging their students In a local fifth-grade class, students were studying how pollen traveled from one flower to another using Ozobots. Students used large sheets of butcher paper to draw the anatomy of a plant. Then, using Ozobots placed on the drawings to represent the pollen, students designed the path that pollen must take in order to pollenate neighboring plants. In another class, students are beginning to use the G-Suite of products to write choose-your-own adventure books. Using the built-in tools to Google Slides, students create comic book-type stories and are also including multiple twists and turns in their stories to allow the reader to read, decipher and analyze the story line. Each slide has a different link on it that allows the reader to choose where they think the action should go based on what the author has written. Students in a local eighth-grade class are taking on the story of Icarus in a new and updated way. They are using PowToon to create a movie out of the story. The teacher provided a blank story template to the students and from there, the kids are free to illustrate, animate, and write the story in their own words. High school students are using computer- aided design (CAD) software and 3D printers to design and print the eyeglass frames of the future! The students can design the frames of their eyeglasses in any manner they wish, but they have to be able to be worn by a person and used. Designs ranged from simple frames that simply rest on the user’s nose to frames that incorporate a buffalo icon. Teachers allow the technology to spark new student-driven questions and then it enables them come up with their own answers. “Children get excited when they can show what they’ve learned in new and fun ways,” said Elizabeth Freas, director of instructional technology resources and professional development for the WNYRIC at Erie 1 BOCES. “Also, the New York State Next Generation Science Standards support the use of technology in the classroom.” Directors and coordinators at Erie 1 BOCES work with technology as a way for proper integration. The highly qualified team of integrators will help the districts to support all their technology needs. Elizabeth Freas (efreas@e1b.org, 716-821-7322) will be able to answer any questions you may have when it comes to new technology for the school and classroom. Erie 1 BOCES will be conducting regional training in its new Creation Room and Active Learning Spaces. The rooms have everything from white board tables, to movable interactive screens. The two rooms have also aligned with a new trend called flexible seating. Flexible seating allows teachers to transform their classrooms in an effort to make their learning spaces more student-centered. District and regional workshops will help bring the latest technology to the classroom.Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:43:59 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=883#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=883#1815When "Tech Support" Calls YouWhen "Tech Support" Calls You
An employee at the WNYRIC Education Campus recently received a phone call from an individual who offered technical (tech) support for his computer. This individual claimed that there were many errors being recorded from the employee’s computer. The caller then asked permission to remotely control the employee’s computer. The employee, wisely, did not consent to this request and ended the call. This is a well-known scam. In addition to attempting to control your computer remotely, the caller may ask for personal information or even a credit card number. Please be aware that no outside tech support vendor will call you to offer tech support on your computer. If you did not request service from your district’s tech support department, do not allow any person whom you do not know to have access to your computer. Some tips to help keep your personal information safe: 1. If you didn’t call for computer help and someone calls you to offer to fix or clean your computer, it’s a scam. 2. Never give your personal information, password, or credit card number to anyone, especially an unknown caller. 3. The caller may offer to provide a refund for tech support services you didn’t use. If so, hang up. For any concerns about computer issues, please connect with your district's technical support. However, Lynn Reed, IaaS manager and network manager for WNYRIC, may also be contacted for additional assistance. She may be reached at (716) 821-7451 or LReed@e1b.org.Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:35:37 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=892#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=892#1815New Active Learning SpacesNew Active Learning Spaces
Studies show that children learn better when they are more comfortable, which leads to an increase in creativity. Educators are reacting to those studies by implementing more flexibility into K-12 classrooms. Now, when teachers take professional development classes at Erie 1 BOCES, they will be learning in a flexible and collaborative environment to spark their creativity. “Erie 1 BOCES will have two new rooms available where adults can be creative and, in turn, bring that creativity back to the district,” stated Michelle Okal-Frink, director Instructional Technology, Research and Innovation.“The Creation Space and Activity Learning Center rooms will help teachers get a feel for a new way to teach to their students.” The rooms have everything from white board tables, to movable interactive screens. The two rooms have also aligned with a new trend called flexible seating. Flexible seating allows teachers to transform their classrooms in an effort to make their learning spaces more student-centered. “We may have a Google workshop, where there are various levels of proficiency, so some novices might be in one part of the room – while on the other side of the room we may have grouped the experts,” said Okal-Frink. The Creation Room is where everyone can get creative. White boards adorn cabinet doors and table tops, so that learners put their ideas down right away instead of ripping out individual pieces of paper and trying to find that pen or pencil. Here they are able to sketch out their ideas, collaborate, and then walk over to get their materials to start building. “Typically, our sessions entail a lot of different designs, sketches and redesigns,” stated Okal-Frink. “If someone is here for a full-day workshop, and they are making a hummingbird robot, they can draw out their design list of what they need, go over to the totes and get the items, go over to the cabinet and get the robotics pieces, and make something. If it didn’t work they can go back and redesign it.” The technology in the rooms, including the interactive boards, laptops and chromebooks, were donated by various vendors – while the iPads were supplied by Erie 1 BOCES.Fri, 03 Nov 2017 15:43:48 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=880#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=880#1815Keeping District Data Secure Keeping District Data Secure
With technology ever changing, school districts can find it hard to keep up with the evolution while still keeping student data safe. The WNYRIC Data Privacy & Security service aims to help districts identify and adopt best practices for administrators and staff to ensure privacy. The service was created to support districts in complying with New York Education Law 2-D and the Parents’ Bill of Rights. The two main components of the service are the inventory tool and internet-based professional development. The inventory tool was developed by the RICS across New York to help districts identify the applications they are using, identify the data administrator in the district for that application, and link to the company’s privacy policy. Currently the inventory tool supports more than 1,000 different applications, and the list is constantly growing. In addition, the inventory tool helps districts remain compliant with certain aspects of the Parents’ Bill of Rights. The professional development trains district staff on different aspects of web-based security awareness and steps users can take to protect data. The course combines both presentation and assessment and each district can assign components to applicable users. Additionally, the service provides quarterly digests with current information on strategies and best practices for data privacy and security, as well as “blasts” or news alerts, when pertinent information is time sensitive. Districts can also take advantage of webinars and interviews, as well as two half-day training sessions for district administrators on a variety of topics. All districts involved in the service will be invited to a “kick-off” meeting this summer, where WNYRIC staff will provide an overview of the service and walk participants through the implementation steps. For more information, please contact David Scalzo at dscalzo@e1b.org or (716) 821-7197.Thu, 06 Jul 2017 16:35:58 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=851#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=851#1815Protecting District NetworksProtecting District Networks
The Enhanced Cybersecurity Service is offered by WNYRIC to districts to help protect their network security. This service deals mainly with hardware and software issues that can put districts at risk. This is done through technical controls, securing information and protecting assets (servers and computers) from malware, ransomware and other threats. The WNYRIC works with district staff, often the Technology Coordinator, to identify threats and vulnerability within a districts network and devices and then tailors a customized network security plan. WNYRIC implements a variety of security tools for the district, customizing them based on the districts needs. WNYRIC staff monitor and report on the performance of the tools and alert the districts to any vulnerabilities or dangers detected. “One of the best things about the service is that the end point (computer) protection that the service provides has a much higher degree of protection than a traditional anti-virus software would give you,” said Will Westoven of WNYRIC. The service uses industry standard best practices and goes beyond mandated compliance of CIPA and FERPA to ensure the best security for districts. In addition to the important security protections put in place, the service also can help districts with implementing web filters, prioritizing certain applications for bandwidth purposes, and providing secure remote access for offsite employees. For more information about the service, please contact Will Westoven at wwestoven@e1b.org or (716) 821-7475.Thu, 06 Jul 2017 16:35:42 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=853#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=853#1815Leadership Seminar for AdministratorsLeadership Seminar for Administrators
This summer, WNYRIC will be offering a two-day workshop called “The Breakthrough Coach.” The workshop is intended to help teach administrators strategies and implement systems that allows for more time spent outside of the office, providing beneficial guidance and support, while also reducing their workload by up to 20 hours a week. The first day of the workshop will be for administrators only, while day two is intended for administrators and their administrative assistant. This workshop is for any administrator who is looking to take back some time while also being more effective at their jobs. To register for the event please visit: https://apps.wnyric.org/web/emr/register-for-an-event?event=34340&edit=true . If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Freas at (716) 821-7322.Fri, 30 Jun 2017 19:55:00 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=852#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=852#1815Is a Maker Faire Right for Your School?Is a Maker Faire Right for Your School?
Staff developers from the WNYRIC joined the Buffalo Maker Faire for a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness at the Buffalo Science Museum. WNYRIC staff developers provided a variety of hands-on robotic experiences, which are also available for schools. The technologies that engaged youngsters ranged from a Blue-bot, which teaches the basics of coding coding as students use an app to control its movement, to a Makey Makey tool that helps students learn about circuits and currents. Marley Smith and Antonio Scordo, staff developers with the WNYRIC, helped show students how to use these different technologies. However, you don’t have to wait for the next faire to see them. These technologies are currently available from the WNYRIC to use in any school. “Whether your class is interested in drones or coding, we have several pilots available for the 17-18 school year,” said Scordo. “We can bring devices out to your district to work with project-based learning in your classroom. We are also happy to pilot in your district with devices you already own.” Districts are encouraged to share their interest in participating in a pilot by filling out the following online survey. Schools often host Maker Faires because they are a perfect combination of part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new. “School districts are not always aware that they must meet a set of criteria and have approval to organize a Maker Faire,” added Scordo. “Marker Faire is a brand name with an organization committed to upholding a pre-determined set of standards.” Before creating a full Maker Faire, some schools choose to do a STEM fair on a smaller scale, such as a Maker Expo to allow students to showcase their creative talents in areas such as quilting, pottery or electronics and robotics. Supporting every school with a learning goal that they are most comfortable exploring is important to Scordo and his WNYRIC colleagues. They can help districts who would like to have a fair but aren’t sure where to begin to plan such an event. “Depending on the scope and the desired outcome of the school, some districts choose to start with school-wide a STEM fair. Others are comfortable starting with classroom-based projects. It varies,” he said. Should your school district like to host a Maker Faire, a STEM fair, or a classroom pilot - the WNYRIC is proud to provide consultation.Fri, 30 Jun 2017 19:54:24 GMThttp://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=850#1815http://www.e1b.org/WNYRIC?ArticleId=850#1815